Angelina Jolie's personal doctor has heaped praise on the private Hollywood star for opting to go public with news of her double mastectomy.

The Tomb Raider beauty hit headlines in May (13) when she revealed she had undergone the drastic surgery as a preventative measure after doctors warned her she was at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Now Dr. Kristi Funk tells Los Angeles magazine Jolie had decided early on she would make an announcement about the procedures, but "waited to find the perfect timing in her personal and professional life, but, I think most importantly, in her soul".

Funk has applauded Jolie for inspiring others, telling the September (13) issue of the publication, "When someone who is arguably the most beautiful woman in the world removes the part of her body that is symbolic of femininity and sexuality, you have to say, 'Why would she do that?'

"She is intensely private, but she calculated the moment when she would be ready to reveal something so personal... She knew always that in her philanthropic core she couldn't keep this a secret and be who she is. She always knew."

Jolie, whose mother Marcheline Bertrand lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 2007, underwent almost three months of medical procedures in secret, beginning 2 February (13) and ending on 27 April (13).